Silver bracelet

Vervaardiging: Abdallah Ben Ahmed

Silver bracelet, made by silversmith Abdallah Ben Ahmed. The bracelet has slanted lines and is decorated with zigzag patterns and dot motifs. In addition to the bracelet, the collection contains a set of tools that Ben Ahmed used to decorate the bracelet (the cast is not present). Ben Ahmed worked in the Jewish quarter of Rissani. Jewish silversmiths practiced the craft of silversmithing here until they emigrated to Israel in the 1950s. With this migration, their expertise disappeared as well. Ben Ahmed was one of the first generation of silversmiths with a Muslim background to have to reinvent the craft, which, according to the tool's collectors, resulted in "inferior quality".\ Similar silver bracelets were worn by Amazigh women in southeastern Morocco. According to collectors, the decoration of the bracelet is not completed.‖ The cast bracelet is placed on the cylindrical, wooden anvil. The decorative motifs are driven into the bracelet using stamps with a circular pattern and with a zigzag pattern. The silversmith uses a hammer to do this. The narrow lines are engraved into the bracelet using a small burin, and the broad lines using a large burin. A wooden hammer is also used for engraving. After these operations the bracelet is polished.